ljex wrote:agentcom wrote:Gay is a pretty innocuous term compared to the N-word
how so? and why would the line drawn differently from one bigoted term to another?
Why would the line be drawn differently between any "mean" words? That's a complicated question. Can I just respond that: "they just are, and you know it"? There are even bigoted terms that are allowed. I doubt anyone has ever been banned for saying "fairy." Words with multiple accepted meanings are tougher, also. I think "coon" might even be a tough case even though, I'd say that's more bigoted than "gay," but more people use "coon" to describe raccoons than use "gay" to mean happy. You're probably allowed to be "bigoted" against people that don't share your personal beliefs, as long as you avoid religious slurs. I would likewise guess that "bigotry" against certain professions is allowed: I doubt you'd get in trouble for referring to all lawyers as a schysters. You're allowed to be "bigoted" against groups that are a small or disfavored portion of society (but maybe that's not considered bigotry): e.g. polygamists or nazis.
Also, it should be noted that we don't punish "bigotry" on this site. We punish the use of certain words. In that sense, you have a point: the word is either on the list of "bad words" or it is not. It doesn't matter if the person is actually a bigot.